“And you’re telling me because…?”
“Heads-up, that’s all. ”
He scraped his fingers through his hair. “I’m not going there again. I’m not even interested in going there. ”
“Hey, relax,” Whit said. “I get it. So what’s going on with little Miss Neglected?”
He shot her a disapproving glare.
“That’s who the picture’s for, right?” Whit’s reminder had Wes drawing his phone from his pocket and shooting the image to Rubi. “Tell me about her. ”
“She’s the opposite of Melissa. Complete opposite. ”
“Well, fucking finally. ”
“What does that mean?”
“Auntie Whit,” Abby reprimanded, making Wes laugh.
“Sorry,” she said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “It’s Uncle Wes’s fault. ”
“Pffft. ” Wes said.
“It means you’ve spent way too long trying to put that ghost behind you. ”
His stomach took an uncomfortable tilt. “Speak English, please. ”
“After you two broke up, you spent years dating women just like her. Women close to their families. Sweet, people-pleasing women. Pretty women who stayed well within societal standards. It’s about time you figured out those women don’t fill your less-than-conventional spirit. Don’t challenge you. Don’t thrill you. And as a result, don’t keep you interested. ”
Wes’s insides seemed to shift, then fall into place, though he couldn’t say it was a comfortable place. “A few days ago, you told me to walk away from Rubi. ”
“Rubi? That’s her name?”
“Yes. ”
“I said that because from what you’ve told me, I’m making an educated guess that Rubi has deep emotional issues that could damage your chances at long-term happiness. But like I said, every case is as individual as the person. It would help if I could meet her. ”
“I asked her to come, but…”
“The idea of family freaks her out,” Whitney said, her voice confident.
“Among other things. ”
She slid a glance his way. “The fact that she refused to come meet your family is important. In a solid, balanced relationship—even early on—a significant other doesn’t usually refuse that kind of invitation without a legitimate reason. ”
“She has a legitimate reason. ”
“Dysfunction does not count as legitimate,” Whit said.
“She’s working against a short work deadline, she has a dog she can’t just walk away from, and her father is selling her house out from under her, so she has to find another place to live. So, I guess she has a few legitimate reasons besides the fact that she doesn’t do family. ”
“If those legitimate reasons were gone, do you think she’d have come?”
Wes’s stomach dropped. “No. ”
On the freeway, Wes drank in the utterly green, lush landscape of the St. Louis suburbs, its distant rolling hills, quiet three-lane freeways void of suicidal drivers. He already felt his blood pressure dipping. Wes fought to mesh his happiness at being home with his disappointment with Rubi’s reluctance to come.
His phone buzzed, and he looked down.